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The Jerk (1979)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
14 December 1979 (USA) moreTagline:
From rags to riches... to rags. morePlot:
A complete imbecile struggles to make it through life on his own, until a strange invention makes him unbelievably wealthy. full summary | full synopsisNewsDesk:
(12 articles)
Apatow Credits Martin For Teenage Comedy Boost (From WENN. 21 May 2009, 6:30 PM, PDT)
Martin Shrugs Off Bad Reviews
(From WENN. 14 February 2009, 6:10 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Laugh so hard, you'll miss half the movie moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Steve Martin | ... | Navin R. Johnson / Cat Juggler / Pig Eye Jackson / Engineer Fred (also as Pig Eye Jackson) | |
| Bernadette Peters | ... | Marie Kimble Johnson | |
| Catlin Adams | ... | Patty Bernstein | |
| Mabel King | ... | Mother | |
| Richard Ward | ... | Father | |
| Dick Anthony Williams | ... | Taj Jonson | |
| Bill Macy | ... | Stan Fox | |
| M. Emmet Walsh | ... | Madman | |
| Dick O'Neill | ... | Frosty | |
| Maurice Evans | ... | Hobart | |
| Helena Carroll | ... | Hester | |
| Ren Woods | ... | Elvira Jonson (as Ren Wood) | |
| Pepe Serna | ... | Punk #1 in Blue Chevy | |
| Sonny Terry | ... | Blues Singer | |
| Brownie McGhee | ... | Blues Singer (as Brownie McGee) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
94 minCountry:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoCertification:
Iceland:L | Finland:K-16 (cut) (1980) | Portugal:M/12 | Australia:M | Norway:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PGFilming Locations:
Devonshire Downs - Devonshire Street at Zelzah Avenue, Northridge, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
The tag number for the blue coupe (a Chevrolet Monte Carlo) was J3S 762 moreGoofs:
Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Navin and Marie are singing the song on the beach, Navin's hand strumming the ukulele is not synchronized with the audio track. moreQuotes:
[first lines]Navin R. Johnson: Huh? I am not a bum. I'm a jerk. I once had wealth, power, and the love of a beautiful woman. Now I only have two things: my friends and... uh... my thermos. Huh? My story? Okay. It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child. I remember the days, sittin' on the porch with my family, singin' and dancin' down in Mississippi.
more
Soundtrack:
You Belong To Me moreFAQ
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I'm glad that I didn't see this in the theatre, because when I watched it the first time on video, I needed to pause the movie several times just to catch my breath from laughing so hard! Wait a minute...was that the first time, or the tenth time? Playing Navin R. Johnson, the white son of a black family, Steve Martin leaves home to find "his special purpose." By the end of the movie, we all know what that was...to entertain his fans the way he has! As for Navin's special purpose, if you haven't already seen the movie, you aren't going to get any more information than what's here. It takes intelligence to play a complete idiot, and Steve Martin does the job extremely well. Also take note of Martin's costar Bernadette Peters, and the cameo appearances by Jackie Mason and Carl Reiner. Whoever wrote that people who watch "The Jerk" will be quoting its jokes for years after was absolutely right. This was the funniest of Steve Martin's movies!